Welcome to Medical News Today

Healthline Media, Inc. would like to process and share personal data (e.g., mobile ad id) and data about your use of our site (e.g., content interests) with our third party partners (see a current list) using cookies and similar automatic collection tools in order to a) personalize content and/or offers on our site or other sites, b) communicate with you upon request, and/or c) for additional reasons upon notice and, when applicable, with your consent.

Healthline Media, Inc. is based in and operates this site from the United States. Any data you provide will be primarily stored and processed in the United States, pursuant to the laws of the United States, which may provide lesser privacy protections than European Economic Area countries.

By clicking “accept” below, you acknowledge and grant your consent for these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Please accept our privacy terms

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, personalize content and offers, show targeted ads, analyze traffic, and better understand you. We may share your information with third-party partners for marketing purposes. To learn more and make choices about data use, visit our Advertising Policy and Privacy Policy. By clicking “Accept and Continue” below, (1) you consent to these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form, and (2) you consent to allow your data to be transferred, processed, and stored in the United States.

Side effects of painkillers are worse in Alzheimer's

A recent study demonstrates that pain relief drugs produce more pronounced side effects when taken by people with dementia. A second study uncovers why this might be the case.

Pain relief for people with dementia may need to be reviewed.

Dementia is a large and growing concern. Because it cannot be reversed, understanding the best way to care for people with advanced dementia is increasingly important.

Roughly 50 percent of people with dementia who are living in nursing homes experience substantial pain. According to earlier studies, this pain often goes unnoticed by clinicians and is therefore poorly managed.

Although paracetamol is generally the first line of treatment for pain, opioids are used when paracetamol is not effective. In fact, around 40 percent of people with dementia living in nursing homes are prescribed opioids.

Opioids and Alzheimer's

Recently, researchers from three institutions investigated the impact of opioids on this population. The scientists hailed from the University of Exeter and King's College London, both in the United Kingdom, and the University of Bergen in Norway.

The team found that side effects such as personality changes, sedation, and confusion were significantly worse in individuals taking opioids, compared with those taking a placebo.

In fact, those who were prescribed the opioid buprenorphine experienced three times the level of harmful side effects. Also, the patients taking buprenorphine were much less active.

"Pain is a symptom that can cause huge distress and it's important that we can provide relief to people with dementia. Sadly, at the moment, we're harming people when we're trying to ease their pain."

Prof. Clive Ballard, University of Exeter Medical School, U.K.

Prof. Ballard continues, "We urgently need more research in this area, and we must get this dosing right. We need to establish the best treatment pathway and examine appropriate dosing for people with dementia."

Why are side effects increased?

Prof. Ballard's team has also carried out studies on the mechanism behind the increased risk of side effects for people with dementia.

Initially, they were looking at the treatment of arthritis in a mouse model. But along the way, they noticed that mice with Alzheimer's were much more sensitive to the effects of morphine; they needed less for adequate pain relief and experienced worse adverse effects.

They discovered that this was because mice with Alzheimer's release higher levels of the body's natural opioids, such as endorphins.

The authors of both studies conclude that pain medication in people with dementia needs to be reviewed urgently. Rather than helping these individuals, it seems that, in some cases, we are impairing their ability to live life to the fullest.

2019 Healthline Media UK Ltd. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.